It may not have been a match for the ages, the chanting from the Madrid's home stadium was familiar. After a long wait, Jude Bellingham finally stood before the home supporters with his arms outstretched, basking in the crowd's rendition of Hey Jude. After a lengthy layoff and uncertainty about his position, he scored his first goal of the season, eventually delivering a 1-0 victory for Real Madrid over a Juventus side that made them work hard. “It was a tough battle,” commented the Belgian goalkeeper.
Decisive Stops Secure the Win
Courtois knew better than anyone, having to save a one-on-one from Dušan Vlahović and produce another crucial save from Khéphren Thuram in the dying moments. This result puts Madrid on a strong tally and the opposition team below the cut. At the end of a game with more shots than fluid football, the visiting coach may consider a decent start, with those saves representing a missed chance around the 85-minute mark; the team's reality though presents concerning reading.
“A side from Italy in trouble is doubly threatening,” the Madrid coach had warned beforehand.
Juventus, who were without a victory since September, did cause Madrid problems at the beginning and again near the end. Madrid dominated possession, with a significant advantage, but Juventus threatened on the counter, particularly with Pierre Kalulu surging forward and the striker linking up, managing 12 shots compared to the hosts' twenty-seven.
Strong Opening for Visitors
The visitors began brightly, certainly. Within three minutes, they thought they were ahead, Vlahović a little unfortunate to be called for holding the Brazilian defender. Three minutes later, Raúl Asencio had to intervene ahead of Vlahović when Kalulu broke free on the right flank. Then three minutes after that, Weston McKennie's shot was deflected past the post.
What followed, from the defender's drive, was a more impressive stop. A quarter of an hour had gone. That said, soon the Italians' momentum had faded as well. Madrid assumed command. Largely it was all a bit functional, however, and the three best opportunities came to Aurélien Tchouaméni, who is not Alonso’s striker of choice. Two were headed over, a third one took a deflection; another chance with the head was missed by the center-back.
Guler Shines
The best moments were provided by Arda Güler. The Turk, whose football was the closest there was to fluidity, was always involved. His neat stop and turn saw him clip to the far post for the Englishman.
Little was seen of Kylian Mbappé early on, but when he finally emerged it was the closest Madrid came to a goal. First his attempt was stopped by the Juventus keeper, who would produce several stops. Then some exquisite dribbling saw him turn Andrea Cambiaso repeatedly until he went down to the ground and set up Militão to blast over.
Second-Half Drama
Militão threw himself to halt the runner at the outset of the second period, and then came the customary save from the keeper when unexpectedly Vlahović was away. The “inadvertent pass” had been remarkable, with the defender cutting out a ball inside his own penalty box and the ball deflecting from the inside of his foot directly through the center to past the center circle. Sprinting after it, huge space opening, Vlahović outpaced Militão, holding him off and advancing into the box where Courtois saved.
Next what tends to happen happened, the save made good by the score that follows it. A flash from the Brazilian winger set up it, working himself enough room amid four men to unleash a low, left-footed shot which struck the post. Lurking in that forward position was Bellingham. With the deadlock broken, Madrid ought to have sealed the game, the Frenchman denied by the keeper and Fede Valverde seeing his volley blocked by Gatti. Then the Juventus goalkeeper made a brilliant double stop from Mbappé and Brahim Díaz.
There were more scares: as the game was drawing to a close, the defender had to make a incredible last-ditch tackle as Madrid were opened up and at the mercy of Loïs Openda unmarked in the area. Then in the final seconds Courtois dived to stop Thuram, his work done. For Juve, there was no way back, Bellingham’s first of the season the final of the match.
“It’s a great feeling, a while now since I’ve scored, a lot of time out and dreaming of that moment, returning in the Champions League and against a major opponent. To score a winner, in our stadium, it’s unbelievable. I felt comfortable, excellent. To perform was important and to net the match-winner helps the team greatly.”
Regarding his form, he added: “I didn’t think last year was a failure, with 15 goals, fourteen setups, but I understand the general feeling was that it was poorer. But I was a contributor to that, how we underperformed last year, there were still good moments but not the standard I want to play at, not the level like the debut season. Now I’ve had my operation, a different coach, he’s got that shape, how we intend to play…. You have to learn from it.”
